Chateau Montelena
The historic Calistoga estate whose 1973 Chardonnay won the 1976 Judgment of Paris, beating white Burgundy and stunning the wine world.
About Chateau
Chateau Montelena dates to 1882, when entrepreneur Alfred L. Tubbs bought 254 acres just north of Calistoga at the foot of Mount Saint Helena; by the 1890s it was among Napa's largest wineries before Prohibition halted production. Attorney James L. Barrett bought and revived the estate, replanting the vineyard and bringing the historic stone chateau back into production in 1972 with Mike Grgich as winemaker. Four years later the Chateau Montelena 1973 Chardonnay won first place among the chardonnays and white Burgundies at the 1976 'Judgment of Paris,' a landmark result that, alongside Stag's Leap, established California on the world stage. The estate is renowned for that benchmark Chardonnay as well as its ageworthy Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon, producing roughly 30,000 to 36,000 cases a year. The Barrett family continues to own and run the winery, with Bo Barrett as CEO.
Flagship wines
- Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
Editorial notes
Famous for both Chardonnay and Cabernet; the Estate Cabernet is a long-haul cellar wine, while the Chardonnay is the historically iconic bottling.